Prefabricated metal house construction



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PREFABRICATED METAL HOUSE CONSTRUCTION Filed May 3, 1943 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 2 3/ Q m Q A Patented Apr. so, 1948 Y 2,439,960

usi'reu STATES PATENT OFFICE rnnmnnrcs'ran METAL nousr. CONSTRUCTION Claude I. Auten, Birmingham, Ala. asslgnor to Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company, Birmingham, Ala., a corporation of Alabama Application May 3, 1943, Serial No. 485,486 2 Claims. (Cl. 189-1) The present invention relates to the substrucwill be sufiiciently resistant to the penetration of ture and superstructure of a building of nonthe elements such as wind, rain and snow, an

combustible construction, and more particularly the simple connections between units in the comto a metal building construction, the units of I pleted building be such that the metal building which can be completely fabricated at the fac- 5 units canbe easily and readily taken apart, packtory and which are adaptable for ready and pered again for transport, and reassembled at anmanent assembly into a building and/or buildother location without damage to the metal units ings of variable dimensions. and the connecting mediums.

Primarily the invention contemplates non- Another object of the invention is to provide combustible metal building units that are easily n metal units of a pattern that when the units are manufactured from commercially available metal being assembled into a building and also after mill products by normally equipped sheet metal the building is completely assembled, insulating shops and more particularly metal building units material of standard commercial thickness, shape that are especially adaptable to transport in a and known conductivity factors may be readily small cubic space without distortion and damand easily placed in or on the metal building units age. to provide against the penetration of the tem- A further object of the invention is to provide peratures in the air surrounding. the building into metal building units or a small number of types the space enclosed by the walls and roof of the that, when assembled, will complete a non-comnon-combustible metal building, also to provide bustible-metal building andv that the metal units against the loss of heat units of the air enclosed of each pattern be interchangeable with all other by the walls and roof of the non-combustible units of the same pattern, to lessen the cost of building through the said walls and roof.

production and to facilitate the field assembly of Another object of the invention is that holes,

the metal building units into complete buildings slots, and the like for field connections will be by either experienced or inexperienced workpunched to a uniform location and pattern in men. the metal building units in order that the shop Another object of the invention is to provide labor and consequent cost of fabricating the metal building units of such a pattern that the metal building units and their connections be reunits of the same type and also units or different du to a m nimum nu b r of man-hours and types will nest together tightly with a minimum consequent cost per building,

of space between them and oi such pattern and Another object of the invention is to provi length that when bundled and/or crated pa' kmetal building units and their simple field conages will in turn be minimum sized packages nections of such patterns and sizes that standard when compared with the weight of their contents commercial windows, doors, and other building and also the. square feet of surface area of the acces o s ay be inserted in t sp o building that the parts will provide in order that lly occupied y the m tal building units withthe total cubic space occupied by the packages out sizing the doors, windows and other building for a complete building when transported in a, accessories to a special size and pattern when the truck, a freight car, a ship, or an aeroplane, hall metal building units and the normal accessories be compact and small. m are being assembled into m a1 buildings.

Another object of the invention is to provide A further object of the invention is a, metal for the joining together of the metal building building superstructure that has the req ired units by simple devices when the units are being slstance to specified strains and stresses when assembled into a non-combustible metal buildsupported upon a foundation and/or floor of mg to form firm, strong and permanent connecmany conventional types of constructions y tions that will resist stresses balanced with the means pr i d in t f g of t e stru strength of the metal building units and to'join ture that does not require a change of the dethe units together in such a manner that the t ils of the superstructure.

joined units in part or in whole will act together A fu e object is to p v bu din units as a combined unit to resist stress and the comof such pattern that all the load suppor pleted metal building in toto is sufficiently strong members and enclosing wall and roof elements to resist and sustain the design loads required of are producible from stock gauges of sheet metal it and that may be imposed thereon by the loads adapted to be cold formed by simple die bendto which it may be exposed during erection and ins perations, or by progressive die rollin also the'loads of snow and wind pressures. Another object of the invention is to construct Another object or the invention is to provide and arrange t e parts so that they can be readily metal building units which, when completely redismantled and re-erected without dama o fabricated, transported and joined together, prethe parts or without providing new or additional sent a metal building that is satisfactory in ap- 1 parts. pearance for the purposes required of it and that so A further object is to so construct and arrange of metal building elements and accessories hereinafter more full claimed.

A preferred practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

described, illustrated and Figure l is a side elevation of a building embodying the herein claimed invention;

Figure 2 is an end elevation thereof;

Figure 3 is a plan of suitable foundation posts for supporting the building;

Figure 4 is an enlarged typical horizontalsection on line 4-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical enlarged section 5--5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is a detail view of gable end framingsection 6-6 of e 1;

Figure 7 is a detail view of gable and framing and end flashing-section l-'l' of Figures2 and 6;

Figure 8 is a typical transverse roof section on line 8-8 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail of part of Figure 8, showing the fastener;

Figure 9 is a tranverse section Figure 1, showing the roof truss;

Figure 10 is a detail perspective view of a roof and wall panel;

Figure 11 is a detail perspective view of a typical wall panel supporting member; this view also illustrating a typical roof supporting member or rafter;

Figure 12 is a U-shaped batten;

Figure 13 is a detail perspective view of an eaves flashing of Figure 5:

Figure 14 is a detail perspective view of a gable end flashing of Figure 7. 3

While not limited thereto, the prefabricated house construction embodying the present inon line 9-9 of detail perspective view of a save valuable cargo space as compared with prior structures when shipped overseas for use as a, task force" housing, a use for which the de-- roof and roof truss are metal preformed parts all made of patterned and the walls and roof a plurality of angles to form The several angles Z-sills at the drive screws.

in Figure 12.

vith its supporting substructure, and as easily lismantled for reerection when. desired.

longitudinally extending side sill angles 30 are secured to the top flanges of side sills H (Figures 4 and 5). Similar transverse end 'sill angles 32 are secured to the top flanges of transverse ends sills It. At their outer extremities the sill angles 30 and 32 are bent downwardly as indicated at 30 and 32 to form a water shed overlapping the horizontal flanges of the Z-inembers to which the angles are secured, thus preventing the inward seepage of water. The sill angles are secured to the top flanges of the Z-sill members by vertically disposed bolts as shown, and are also secured to' the shown.

As best shown in Figures 4 and 5, the wall structure includes a series of wall supporting uprights 35, each formed of a pair of angles 34 and 3% arranged back to back. Since the construction description of onewili sumce for all. As shown the angular upsupporting members are secured to the sill angle by means of right wall upstanding flange of the bolts 36.

wall supporting member at at each side of the building there is a longitudinally extending eaves member 38 secured to the uprights by suitable bolts as shown. The upright wall enclosure is formed of a plurality of panel members 60, each of which, as shown in Figure 10, is in the form of a flat metal sheet with outwardly bent flanges 6i) and M which are adapted to make face-toface contact with the outwardly extending flanges of the angle member 34. At the joints between adjacent wall panel sections the wall structure is tied together by batten strips 62, one of which is shown in detail The overlapping or nesting arrangement of batten strips is such that a weathertight joint is secured when penetrate the flanges of the wall panels and the upright angles 3% and the battens are drawn up tight. As illustrated in Figure 4, there are three upright angle members at with their flanges so disposed that they jointly form a reinforced crossshaped corner post. At the corners the end wall panels are secured by batten strips 42 in much the same manner that the other panels are secured. The parts when secured together as described above, provide a compound section to properly resist design stresses.

Interposed between each wall panel to and the parallel pair of adjacent wall supporting members at there is a sheet of wall board so, the outer face of which insulating material 58. board may itself The wall board may of fiber board, gypsum board, and insulating materials of various suitable types may be alternatively employed. In the erection .of the upright walls several of the panel sections and upright supporting members described may be assembled with the angle members 30 and the cave member 38 while the latter are supported in horizontal position on the ground or on suitable work-horses.

After the uprights carrying the eaves member as have been erected and after the similar end walls have been placed, the roof sections may then be put in place. The roof is made up of a plurality of rafter angles d9 which are arranged in pairs back to back. The lower ends of these At the upper extremity of the upright means of U-shaped I walls and end walls are the same, a

the bolts 43 which rafters rest on the upper obliquely inclined flange 38 of eaves member 38 and are secured thereto by suitable bolts as shown. Interposed between adjacent rafter angles 49 there are 50 which are of the same pattern or cross sectional contour as the wall panels being provided with flanges which make face-to-face contact with the side flanges of the rafter angles 49. The side flanges of the roof panels and the flanges of the rafter angles 59 are overlapped by roof batten '7, in much the same manner as the wall panels are secured to their upright members.

At each gable end of the building there is a top cross member 5A which is bolted to the end upright wall supporting members 31% and at the gable ends in addition to the rafters there are provided inclined angle members 66 to afford a means for connection with the upper ends of the end wall panels (Figure 6).

The upper extremities of the rafter angles 49 rest on central ridge members 56 which are symmetrically arranged on opposite sides of the center line of the building so that a space is provided between them for the passage of a suitable smoke pipe or vent pipe (Figures 8, 8 and 9) Each central ridge member is provided with a downwardly extended flange 56 and said flanges are secured to parallel upright struts 58 whose lower gusset plates 60 carpart of a roof truss. be are interposed between the flanges 56 of the ridge member so as to reinforce the central region of the roof. Diagonal members 86 connect the gusset plates 60 with connecting plates 68 secured to longitudinal member 10 bolted to The roof truss structure such as placed on 5-foot centers or other equal module dimensions along the length of the building. Suitable longitudinal truss bracing of conventional form not shown will also usually be employed.

The horizontal cross member 62 of the truss carries at each extremity a gusset bracket 12 having laterally extended horizontal flange I12 adapted to be secured to the under face of the flange 38 of the eaves member. 'This arrangement provides for ease of erection because as erection work progresses from one end of the building toward the other, the gusset bracket will afford means for progressively connecting the parts end to end.

Interposed between the flanges of the rafter angles 69 and roof panels 50, I preferably provide wall board with insulation substantially the same as that interposed between the similar bottom of the upstanding flanges (to permit walls as clearly shown in water run-off) and the plate is secured in place by means of hook-like fastening devices 16 having hooked ends l6 which engage over the flanges H these fittings also being provided with lower hook extremities 1'6 which are adapted to be hooked under the flanges of the roof batten members 52. Where a smoke pipe or vent pipe is to be installed, a suitable hole will be cut in the ridge plate so as to permit itspassage there- 7 8 through. Such a vent pipe is suggested at I: in Although I have shown and described specific Figure 2. This pip m y e m d to pass bedetails 'of prefabricated steel house design and tween the flanges 56 of the central ridge memconstruction which an actual reduction t pracbers above referred to. tice on a commercial mass production basis has To keep th pri ht w l m m nd h demonstrated is highly desirable, it is not to be cross members 62 of the roof truss square and construed that I am limited thereto since various true durin e i n. Suitable kn braces modifications and substitutions of equivalents may be fastened by brackets 18 and 18 to said may be made by those skilled in the art without cross member and said uprights as shown in Figdeparture from the spirit and scope of the invenure 9. If desired, these knee braces may be re- 10 tion as defined in the appended claims.

moved after the building has been completely claim;

erected Longitudinally extending truss tie mem- 1. Prefabricated metal house construction combers an in the form of angles arranged back to prising a series of upright wall supporting memack may be centrally locat as sh wn n Figers consisting of sheet metal angles arranged ure 9 or these angl s m y be ured in Spaced back to back along each side and at each end of smoke or vent pipe. right side members, a respective top horizontal An eave flashin hann l 2 of the p t rn gable end cross member consisting of a metal shown in Figure 13 s cur o th pper exangle secured to each series of upright end memand the battens which secure the panels to the c o ecti l size a shape as said upright battens and the parts which they overlap. As members of sheet metal each bent to an acute a point remote from the flashing. gusset brackets at their ends having lateral In the wall construction shown it will be apflanges for attachment to said eaves members, upparent that the outer surface of the heat insuright struts whose tops and bottoms are respe the inner face of the wall board 48 is engaged spaces between the several rafter members and tive appearance. m m ers. and a central ridge plate spanning the The roof insulation is similarly held in place as space above said spaced ridge members.

shown. At the top of the wall the flashing 82 2. The combination of claim 1 further characexcludes the access of water to the fibrous or terized in that said ridge plate is bent to inverted base flange of the sill angle 30 since it rests on so portions engaging under said battens and over 18 provided above the sill to prevent moisture from plate in place.

reaching the wall board and insulation by capil- CLAUDE I. AUTEN'. lary attraction.

The wall construction illustrated is so arranged REFERENCES CITED that stock Size Windows and (10013 0811 be readily The following references are of record in the installed merely by omitting one of the angular file of this patent:

either a window 94 or a door I28 at a desired UNITED STATES PATENTS location. Number Name Date An important fea ure inherent in the roof and 1,016,032 Pruden Jan. 30, 1912 side wall constructions herein described is that 1,051,842 Loehner Jan. 28, 1913 no holes are made either in the field or shop in 1,083,773 Taylor Jan. 6, 1914 the weather exposed surfaces of the panels. The 1,141,021 Taylor Ma 25, 1915 only holes in the roof and wall panels are made 1,153,292 Downey Sept. 14, 1915 in the flanges at right angles to the Weather ex- 1,155,969 Taylor Oct. 5, 1915 posed surfaces thereof and the holes in such 1,208,568 Kane Dec, 12, 1916 flanges are amply protected by the overlapping 1,214,567 Maltby Feb, 6, 1917 portions of the battens described. 1,260,391 Kane May 26, 1918 The window and door features above described 1,427,007 Maisenhalder Aug. 22, 1922 are claimed in my respective copending applica- 1,461,538 McKenzie July 10, 1923 tions, Serial No. 486,571, filed May 11, 1943, now 1,532,695 Harting et a]. Apr. 7, 1925 Patent No. 2,363,475, and Serial No. 486,572, filed 1,847,891 tto Mar. 1, 1932 May 11, 1943, now Patent No. 2,356,730. 2,031,631 Bemis Feb. 25, 1936 

